I'm going to Milwaukee tomorrow night to play the accordion at two Irish dancing competitions. I'll return Sunday night and I suspect I'll seek lodging at Grandma Hagan's house (read: the only person besides myself who is happy to do my laundry). I'm planning on driving up to Detroit on Monday evening, storing clothes and some sound equipment in my new room at the Jesuit community of the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy. I'll come back to Cleveland on Tuesday morning, see some family and friends, and then on Thursday I'm driving up to Omena, Michigan where we have our villa. The first week of villa this year will be spent on a work-crew: I, along with several other Jesuits, will be cleaning the villa grounds and tearing down a few abandoned shacks that are on the property. This latter task is the one I most look forward toward: once they are torn down, I've been assured that we can drag the lumber to the beach and create a bonfire. Since I'm taking my camera with me, rest assured that there will be pictures!
As I prepare to head off to Villa with the other guys in formation, I'm beset with both great excitement and nervousness. I'm excited that I'll get to see my friends and classmates and to have almost two weeks to be with them. I'm nervous, though, because as soon as Villa concludes I will begin the new teacher orientation!
This fall, I'll be teaching three courses: 1 section of Intro to UD High (freshmen), 2 sections of New Testament (sophomores), and 1 section of senior philosophy. I have a lot of ideas about how I want to approach these courses, but I must admit that until I get there, I'll have no idea whether they'll work or not!
I have taught many times before: kindergarten, junior high, and college students. I think my gifts as a teacher are that I'm highly organized and I'm enthusiastic. My biggest fear in teaching is that I won't tend well enough to the young men who are being entrusted to my care. The cura personalis or "care for the person" asks that I address both their academic and spiritual needs. I only pray that my teaching is worthy of these students.
On that note, I'm off to do laundry. I hope all of you are having a restful and relaxing summer. I'll try to post again before I head up to Omena - perhaps I can get some pictures of my new digs at UD High - but if I go silent for awhile, rest assured that all is well.
Peace and Blessings!
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